Social Media Weekly News Roundup 11.09.20

Social Media Weekly Round Up

Facebook launches new college student-only social network ‘Campus’

Yesterday, Facebook announced that it would be returning to its roots with new college student-only social network ‘Campus’. The platform will require an @.edu email address to sign up and will have its own section within the Facebook app. ‘Campus’ will boast features like a Campus-only news feed, Campus-specific groups, events and chat rooms, as well as a Campus directory where students can find and connect with one another more easily.

TikTok introduces new ‘Stitch’ editing feature

This week, TikTok announced its new video editing feature ‘Stitch’, which allows users to clip and integrate scenes from other users’ videos and use them within their own. The concept is similar to TikTok’s ‘Duet’ feature, which allows users to engage with others’ videos by creating their own videos alongside them, appearing side by side. Just like with Duets, TikTok users will be able to opt in or out to others being able to Stitch their videos, and any video which is Stitched will credit the original creator.

Instagram changes its verification process

Instagram has announced a change to its verification process in an effort to make it a more fair and transparent experience for users. They’re set to diversify the process so that a user’s ‘notability’, which is measured through their appearance in press articles, is more heavily weighted. Instagram also says that it has now diversified its reliable news outlets, used to monitor notability, to include more LGBTQ+, Black and Latinx media sources. In addition, Instagram has said that it will remove users’ verification badges if they are flagged as providing false information to their followers.

Apple files countersuit against Fortnite creator Epic

In the latest episode of the Apple versus Epic saga, Apple has announced that it has filed a countersuit against the creators of gaming sensation Fortnite. This comes after Epic took legal action against Apple for its crackdown on Fortnite’s in-app purchasing method, which bypassed Apple’s 30% tax. And it’s not the first time this year that Apple’s been publically dragged for its cut of in-app purchases. Facebook recently criticised the tech giant after it refused to waive the tax for its new Facebook Paid Events initiative, which aimed to help keep small businesses afloat during the pandemic.

Vimeo introduces new profile page experience for creators

Video-based platform Vimeo has introduced a new profile page experience for its creators this week. The new profile page will allow Vimeo users to customise their profile, organise their videos more easily, and have greater sharing capabilities, making it easier to promote the work they do with brands and be discovered.

Facebook introduces new limits including forwarding limit on Messenger and ad limit on Pages

Facebook has announced that it will be introducing a forwarding limit on its instant messaging site Messenger in order to fight the spread of misinformation, or ‘fake news’, on the platform. The move comes after Facebook successfully introduced a forwarding limit on its popular messaging platform Whatsapp earlier this year. The new limits on Messenger are also a much-needed response to the fast-spreading misinformation about Covid-19, which the platform has struggled to get a handle on throughout the pandemic.

Facebook has also announced that they will start rolling out ad limits on Pages from February 2021. The limits will differ depending on the size of your Page, so small to medium-sized Pages will have a lower limit than the largest Pages. User admins will be able to review these limits in Ads Manager when they come into place.

TikTok announces new Marketing Partner Program for advertisers

TikTok has announced that it will be launching a new Marketing Partner Program with the help of nearly 20 certified partners specialising in various areas of expertise, including Byte, Tommy, Kantar and QuickFrame. The program is designed to help brands increase their creativity and explore new ways of engaging with consumers on the platform.

Google announces launch of Android 11

On Tuesday, Google announced the arrival of the latest version of its mobile operating system: Android 11. The updated version brags improved messaging and communication features, built-in screen recording capabilities, and a more ‘people-forward’ design.